NANCY WANG YUEN - Biola University

Associate Professor
Biola Department of Sociology
13800 Biola Avenue
La Mirada, CA 90639
NANCY WANG YUEN
Email: nancy.yuen@biola.edu
https://sites.google.com/a/biola.edu/nancy-yuen/
INTERESTS
Race and Ethnicity, Sociology of Culture, Asian American Studies, Media Studies, Social
Psychology, Qualitative Methodology
EDUCATION
2008 Ph.D. in Sociology, University of California, Los Angeles
2002 M.A. in Sociology, University of California, Los Angeles
1997 B.A. in English, University of California, Los Angeles
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2011-present
Associate Professor, Sociology, Biola University
2008-2011
Assistant Professor, Sociology, Biola University
Spring 2005 Instructor, UCLA, Seminar: “Racial and Gendered Bodies in
Popular Culture”
Fall 2004 and
Teaching Fellow, UCLA, Interracial Dynamics Cluster in the
Winter 2005
General Education Cluster Program
1/2002-1/2003 Graduate Student Researcher, Ralph J. Bunche Center for
African American Studies, UCLA
1999-2006 Graduate Student Researcher, Sociology, UCLA
9/1999-6/2000 Teacher, English Literature and Journalism, Beverly Hills Prep
School
Winter/Spring 1999 Teaching Assistant, English, Santa Monica College
GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS
Grant∫, California Council for the Humanities, 2011-2012.
Grant, UCLA George and Sakaye Aratani Community Advancement Research Endowment,
2011-2012.
Grant, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Organizational Grant Program, 2010-2011.
Research Grant, California Civil Liberties Public Education Program, 2004-2005, 2006-2007,
2009-2010.
Alternate Finalist for the President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, University of
California, 2008-2009.
Black Los Angeles Project Research Grant, UCLA Bunche Center for African American
Studies, 2008.
Tribeca All-Access Program, Tribeca Film Institute, 2007.
Dissertation Year Fellowship, UCLA, 2007-2008.
Mini-Grant, UCLA Office of Instructional Development, 2005.
Research Grant, UCLA Institute of Industrial Relations, 2005.
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Graduate Student Paper Award, American Sociological Association, Asia and Asian America
Section, 2004.
Research Grant, Asian American Justice Center (Formerly National Asian Pacific American
Legal Consortium) 2004-2005 and 2005-2006.
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Award, 2002-2005.
Student Forum Travel Award, American Sociological Association, 2002.
Research Grant Program in Ethnic Studies, UCLA Institute of American Cultures, 2001.
Summer Research Mentorship Grant, UCLA, 2001.
Edward A. Dickson Fellowship for Media Studies, UCLA, 2000-2001 and 2006-2007.
First Prize, Ina Coolbrith Memorial Poetry Contest, California, 1997.
Magna Cum Laude, Highest Departmental Honors, College Honors, UCLA, 1997.
PUBLICATIONS
Chin, Christina, Meera E. Deo, Jenny J. Lee, Noriko Milman, and Nancy Wang Yuen. 2007.
"Without a Trace: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Prime Time Television," Chapter
24 in Contemporary Asian America: A Multidisciplinary Reader. Second Edition. Edited by
Min Zhou and J. V. Gatewood. New York: New York University Press.
--2006. “Asian Pacific Americans in Prime Time: Setting the Stage.” Asian American Justice
Center, Washington D.C. Available for download at
http://www.advancingequality.org/files/aajc_tv_06.pdf
Deo Meera E., Christina Chin, Jenny J. Lee, Noriko Milman, and Nancy Wang Yuen. 2008.
"Missing in Action: ‘Framing’ Race on Prime Time Television." Social Justice 35:2.
Wang, Nancy. 2000. "Allen Ginsberg." Pp. 239-240 in St. James Encyclopedia of Popular
Culture, edited by Tom Pendergast and Sara Pendergast. Detroit: St. James Press.
Yuen, Nancy Wang. 2004. "Performing Race, Negotiating Identity: Asian American Professional
Actors in Hollywood." Pp. 251-267 in Asian American Youth Culture, Identity, and Ethnicity,
edited by Jennifer Lee and Min Zhou. New York: Routledge.
--2009. “The Asian American Vote: How the Media Portrays Race Relations in the 2008
Democratic Primaries.” St. John’s Journal of Legal Commentary, Vol. 24:2, pp. 421-424.
--2010. “Playing ‘Ghetto’: Embodiments of South Central in Popular Culture,” pp. 232-242 in
Black Los Angeles: American Dreams and Racial Realities. Editors Darnell Hunt and Ana-
Christina Ramon. New York: NYU Press.
-- 2011, May. [Review of the book Crime and Racial Constructions: Cultural Misinformation
about African Americans in Media and Academia]. Contemporary Sociology: A Journal of
Reviews, 40: 297-298.
Yuen, Nancy Wang and Cassidy J. Ray. 2009. “Post 9/11, but not Post-Racial.” Contexts, Vol.
8:2, pp. 68-70.
Yuen, Nancy Wang, Christina Chin, Meera Deo, Jenny Lee, and Noriko Milman. 2005. "Asian
Pacific Americans in Prime Time: Lights, Camera, and Little Action." National Asian Pacific
American Legal Consortium, Washington D.C. Available for download at
http://www.advancingequality.org/files/NAPALC_report_final.pdf
WORKS IN PROGRESS
Yuen, Nancy Wang. Keepin’ it Reel: How Hollywood Actors Negotiate Race, Gender, and
Authenticity
Yuen, Nancy Wang. “Strategic Uses of Mother Tongue amongst English-Dominant Bilinguals.”
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Yuen, Nancy Wang and Christina Lee Kim. "God asks us to obey": How Christian Parents
Discipline Toddlers. Research project in progress.
GUEST SPEAKERSHIPS AND INVITED TALKS
Panelist, “Searching for Sanctuary in Film,” Biola University, La Mirada, CA 10/29/2011.
Guest Lecturer, Pomona College, Qualitative Research Methods Course, Claremont, CA,
10/3/2011.
Guest Lecturer, Providence Christian College, Pasadena, CA 5/23/2011.
Guest Lecturer, Asian American Literature course, Biola University, La Mirada, CA 2/2/2011.
Guest Speaker, Provost's Research Luncheon, Biola University, La Mirada, CA. 12/6/2010.
Panelist, Cinema and Media Arts Chapel Panel, Biola University, La Mirada, CA. 11/4/2010.
Guest, Black Los Angeles Symposium, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA. 5/25/2010.
Panelist, "Past, Present and Future: Questions of Identity for Women in Academia," Zeitgeist
Fall Interdisciplinary Conference, Biola University, La Mirada, CA, 11/21/2009.
Panelist, “Toward a Theology of Art-Making,” at Practicing Theology: Art and Culture Making
in Contemporary Christianity, Biola University, La Mirada, CA, 3/6/2009.
Panelist, “Making History: Race, Gender and the Media in the 2008 Elections Symposium,” at
The Ronald H. Brown Center for Civil Rights and Economic Development at St. John's
University School of Law, New York, NY, 9/26/2008.
Panelist, “Rethinking the Discourse on Race: A Symposium on How the Lack of Racial
Diversity in the Media Affects Social Justice and Policy,” at The Ronald H. Brown Center
for Civil Rights and Economic Development at St. John's University School of Law, New
York, NY, 4/28/2006.
Guest Speaker, Interracial Dynamics Cluster Course, UCLA, 2/24/2005.
Guest Speaker, Asian American Studies Guest Lecturer Series, Michigan State University,
10/10/2003.
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
“Playing Stigma: How Hollywood Actors Cope with Racial Stereotypes,” presented at the
American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Denver, CO, 8/12/2012.
“ ‘God asks us to obey’: How Christian Parents Discipline Toddlers,” presented at the American
Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, NV, 8/23/2011.
“Playing ‘Ghetto’: Black Actors, Stereotypes, and Authenticity,” presented at the American
Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA, 8/15/2010.
“Post 9/11, but not Post Racial: The Science Fiction of Lost and Heroes,” presented with Cassidy
J. Ray at the American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA,
8/10/09.
“Performing Authenticity: How Working Actors Negotiate Identity,” presented at the American
Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Boston, MA, 8/2/2008.
“Demystifying Greatness: Sociological Approaches to Artistic Genius,” presented at the
American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Montreal, Canada, 8/2006.
“Performance, Identity, and Authenticity: Professional Actors in Hollywood,” presented at the
Pacific Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Hollywood, CA, 4/21/2006.
“The Asian Pacific Islander American Prime Time Television Report: The Fall 2005 Season,”
presented at the Association for Asian American Studies Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA,
3/23/2006.
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“How Hollywood Characterizes Gender: A Content Analysis of Professional Actor’s Casting
Notices for Film and Television (1975-2000),” presented at the American Sociological
Association Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, 8/15/2005.
“‘Asian Pacific Americans in Primetime: Lights, Camera, and Little Action,’ the Asian Pacific
Islander American Prime Time Television Report: The Fall 2004 Season,” presented at the
Association for Asian American Studies Annual Meeting, Los Angeles, CA, 4/22/2005.
“Negotiating Affiliation through Code-switching: Face-work Analysis of Chinese American
Conversations,” presented at the American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, San
Francisco, CA, 8/14/2004.
“Performing Race, Negotiating Identity: Asian American Professional Actors in Hollywood,”
presented at the American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Chicago, Illinois
8/17/2002; also at the Southern Sociological Association Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA
3/29/2003; the Pacific Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Pasadena, CA, 4/4/2003.
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES
Scripture Reader, Biola Convocation, 1/30/2012.
Advisor, Biola Asian Student Association, 10/2011 to present.
Mentor, Asia/Asian American Section, American Sociological Association, 8/21/2011.
Participant, Female Faculty Retreat, Biola University, 10/30/2010.
Quickstart (Faculty Peer) Mentor, Biola University, 8/2010-12/2010.
Co-Producer, Beijing, CA: The Fight over Confucius Classrooms in Hacienda Heights,
6/2010-present.
Member, Protection of Human Rights in Research, Biola University. 8/2009 – present.
Co-Producer, Kono & Chaplin: Living in Silence, documentary on Toraichi Kono, personal
secretary and confidante to Charlie Chaplin. 11/2002-present. Funded by a grant from the
California Civil Liberties Public Education Program (CCLPEP). One of 32 participants selected
for the 2007 Tribeca All Access (TAA) program.
Chair, panel, “Popular Culture: Empirical Studies of Production, Reception and Identity,” at the
Pacific Sociological Association Annual Meeting, Hollywood, CA, 4/21/2006.
Chair and Discussant, panel, “APIA Bodies: Identity, Performance, & Representation,” at the
Association for Asian American Studies Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA, 3/23/2006.
Reviewer, The Sociological Quarterly, 10/2005.
Diversity Committee, UCLA Sociology, 8/2003-6/2007. Instituted and coordinated diversity
workshops for incoming graduate students, and diversity breakfasts for prospective graduate
students.
Coordinator, Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration Working Group, UCLA Sociology, 8/2002-
6/2003. Coordinated a faculty guest lecture series, graduate student workshops, graduate student
presentations, and maintained website.
Coordinator, Third Annual Interdisciplinary Conference on Race, Ethnicity, and
Immigration, UCLA, 5/27/2003. Forum for graduate student from different disciplines to
present work, along with faculty-led methodology session (Ruben Hernandez-Leon, UCLA
Sociology) and faculty keynote speaker (Chon Noriega, Chair of the UCLA Chicano Studies
Center and Professor of Film and Television).
MASS MEDIA APPEARANCE
Audrey Magazine. “Generation diverse: are we there yet?” Spring, 2011.
The Chimes. “Churches are seeking racial reconciliation.” December 9, 2010.
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The Chimes. “Study uses facebook to identify how college students form friendships.”
November 19, 2010.
The Los Angeles Times. “'Black Los Angeles' uncovers the region's unique African American
life.” August 8, 2010.
The Huffington Post. “Race, Gender and the Media in the 2008 Elections.” October 12, 2008.
Voices, National Convention paper of the Asian American Journalists Association. June 14,
2007.
Nichi Bei Times. “TV Shows Score Better in Quality than Quantity for APIs,” August 31, 2006.
Chinese World News. August 24, 2006.
AsianWeek. “The Silent Treatment of Toraichi Kono,” May 19, 2006.
Daily Bruin. “Off the Airwaves: Study Finds Poor Representation of Asian Americans on
Television,” May 12, 2005.
Associated Press. “Asians poorly represented on TV,” May 2, 2005. Covered by CNN.com,
USA today, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and over eighty international, national,
and local newspapers.
Radio Interview: “Definitely Not the Opera.” Program of the Canadian Broadcasting
Corporation, May 2005.
PROFESSIONAL/COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS
Member: American Sociological Association, Association for Asian American Studies;
Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment, Inc., Media Action Network for Asian Americans.
LANGUAGES
English (native)
Chinese Mandarin (fluent)
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